Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers hits an RBI double during the sixth inning of the Japan Series against the SoftBank Hawks at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka on Oct. 25, 2025. (Kyodo)
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) — Shoki Murakami won a pitching duel with Kohei Arihara, and Teruaki Sato doubled in a crucial run as the Hanshin Tigers came from behind to beat the SoftBank Hawks 2-1 to open the Japan Series on Saturday.
Murakami (1-0), who jointly led the Central League with 14 wins this season, held the Pacific League champion Hawks to a run on six hits and two walks over seven innings to help his visiting team secure a big win in the best-of-seven series’ opener at Mizuho PayPay Dome.
“My teammates are strong and I believed they would turn things around if I persevered,” Murakami said. “We want to win again tomorrow and clinch the title at (our) Koshien Stadium.”
Hawks cleanup hitter Kensuke Kondo, who made his return after missing the whole of the Climax Series with left side pain, quickly gave the home team the lead as he singled off Murakami in the first inning with two outs to plate a runner from second.
Former Texas Ranger Arihara (0-1), who was also the joint leader with 14 wins in the PL, kept the Tigers off the board through the first five innings. But two singles and steals each had runners on second and third in the sixth, and a run scored on a grounder.
With a runner on third and one out, slugger Sato doubled to right off Arihara’s 3-0 changeup to turn the game around, giving the lead to Murakami, who struck out eight in a 115-pitch effort.
The Hawks had two runners on in the ninth, but Daichi Ishii, who this season set a Nippon Professional Baseball record of throwing 50 consecutive scoreless innings, got out of the jam to earn the save.
The Hawks play at home in Game 2 on Sunday, while the next three games will be played at Koshien in Hyogo Prefecture, the Tigers’ home ballpark. The last two games will be played back in Fukuoka next weekend if no series winner is decided by then.